Falling
by Kaz5
Summary: [SenRu] After a terrible game, Rukawa went drunk. Guess who's there to accompany him?


Hello, this is my first SenRu fic (hopefully it won't be the last...). It's kinda short and probably plot-what-plotish, but I swear there is a plot in here somewhere... o.O

disclaimer: Inoue Takehiko, IT Planning, etc.  
warnings: Sendoh x Rukawa, yaoi, PG-13  
notes: special thanks to my wonderful beta, Tiggy Malvern who's always there to edit my cheap and crappy fics.

x x x x x x x

FALLING  
by Kaz Misaki

Sendoh had to use all his willpower not to drink any more liquor, so he could get back to the hotel safely tonight. He'd played a terrible game today and it seemed that he had all the right in the world to get drunk. He'd just come back from an injury, and was hoping to be the savior of the team, and he'd lost miserably. But it's not the end of the world, he said to himself over and over. It would be a totally different matter if his team was predicted to be one of the candidates for the championship this season.

Speaking of champions, he looked at the man sitting beside him at the bar. Rukawa was obviously drunk, and was busy ordering what was probably his tenth glass of the night. Sendoh had found him in this bar, far from everyone who was celebrating victories - where they were, he really didn't want to know.

During their university years, Sendoh and Rukawa had been lucky enough to get offers to join professional basketball teams. Although they ended up on different teams, they'd met a lot at the court, or outside just to hang out (although Rukawa rarely initiated the latter, if ever). Truthfully, Sendoh had never really thought about turning professional; he just played basketball because he loved it. He'd never wanted to be the best, but he also refused to lose. He was hesitant at first, but his friends back in Ryounan had encouraged him to go. So here he was, playing for a professional team in the Japanese League.

Rukawa's team had been terribly beaten after playing some wonderful games before. They were a great team, and with Rukawa on their side, they'd thought they would finally win the championship. This season, they had won five times in a row, and Rukawa was their star; the total failure that had happened today - the loss - had left an obvious deficit with their closest rivals, last year's champions. But losing points in the championship wasn't as bad as losing their confidence. Sendoh frowned at the thought; this isn't the end of the world, he repeated. He wished Rukawa could understand that.

"One more glass please," Rukawa mumbled to the bartender. The man behind the bar peered at Sendoh, asking for permission. It was obvious he wasn't very happy giving the ice prince another drink.

Sendoh took the glass from Rukawa's hand and glared, though the other wasn't even looking at him, "That's your last shot, Rukawa. You're driving."

"Who said I wanted to drive? I hate that car! I hate myself!" Rukawa snapped, glaring back at him with unfocused eyes. "I hate that court! I always lose there! Someone should just burn it!"

Sendoh gawked and chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "I didn't know you could be so childish when you're drunk," he said between laughter. "Yeah... it's a terrible come back for me too..."

"Who cares!" Rukawa stood up, snatching his glass back from Sendoh's hand. The glass fell to the floor, but the sound of glass shattering was swallowed by the loud music from the dance floor, and nobody in the club was taking any notice of them.

"That's really considerate of you," Sendoh said gloomily, but a smile still played on his face. "Look, it's not the end of this season; you _do_ still have the chance to win and become champions, you know?"

"Fuck off!" Rukawa almost fell as he said the words, eyes red and hair messy. "And who are _you_ anyway!"

Sendoh rolled his eyes heavenward. He paid their drinks' bill, then half-dragged the ex-Shohoku player out of the club before he could even say no. Rukawa yelped on their way to the door, almost stumbling into some people who were dancing. "Go away! I don't want to go back to the hotel!"

Sendoh ignored him and pushed Rukawa into his car, fastening the seatbelt for him while Rukawa's hands were all over his hair, pulling and clawing. By the time he was done, his hair was a terrible mess. He hated it when his hair was messy.

"Hey, you're Sendoh, right?" Rukawa slurred, eyes only half open, but he was eyeing Sendoh with a studying gaze. "You're that Ryounan player..."

"Thank you for remembering, but that was nearly five years ago." Sendoh groaned and started the engine. "Now hold on..."

x x x x x x x

Sendoh decided it was better to take Rukawa to his hotel room; he didn't know for sure how to deal with Rukawa's teammates. Rukawa was an adult, they wouldn't worry too much if he didn't come back for one night. But remembering that Rukawa was their ace, he wondered whether they might at least be slightly worried. That thought added to his enjoyment even more.

Sitting on the edge of Sendoh's bed, Rukawa looked sleepy and weary. The ex-Ryounan player was worried and began to think about the possibility of taking Rukawa back to where his team stayed instead. But Rukawa just yawned and leaned back onto the pillows, looking more comfortable after a few minutes. Sendoh decided that it was okay to let him sleep for tonight. He went to take cold water from the fridge, realizing that he didn't have any aspirin with him at the moment, and gave the water to Rukawa.

"Rukawa-kun, drink this, you'll feel better." Sendoh raised one eyebrow. "...I think."

"Hn." The other grunted without twitching a muscle. His breathing was steady, and Sendoh almost thought that he'd fallen asleep. But the next minute he heard him start babbling about the game over and over.

Shaking his head, Sendoh tried to help Rukawa sit up so he could drink the water, but he was heavier than he'd thought he would be. "Man, when's the last time you were drunk like this?"

"Last week!" Rukawa retorted, finding the right muscles to sit up and grabbing the glass from Sendoh's hand. "But I was celebrating victory that time." He drank the water without pausing; when he was finished, the glass was almost three-quarters empty. "We were still winning last week. How can it end up like this?"

"You should really go to sleep." Sendoh was instructing him more than suggesting, placing the glass on the bedside table before it ended up like the glass in the bar. "I'll take you back to your hotel room tomorrow."

Rukawa scowled deeply, "I. Don't. Want. To. Go. Back." At this point Sendoh almost thought that he was sober, but Rukawa's eyes told him otherwise. "Everybody kept saying that it was okay, that we still had a chance, that it wasn't my fault, that we would win the next game. It sucks! We almost won, dammit! We could have won! And it was my fault..."

Sendoh winced a bit, hoping that Rukawa wouldn't start crying. "You can't have everything." Sendoh ruffled the younger man's hair, smiling sincerely. "You're a good player, Rukawa. I'm sure they were right. You can still win you know? This is not the end of the world." There were those words again, Sendoh's mind rolled. It was more like he directed the words to himself than to Rukawa.

"Where the hell am I anyway?" Rukawa muttered under his breath, looking around as if he was taking it in. Sendoh knew he wasn't. "My head's dizzy..."

"It should be. I don't know how many shots you had before I got there. And this is my room." Sendoh pushed him back down onto the bed, arranging the pillows under Rukawa's head. Rukawa's eyes were bleary and unfocused, his face pale and sweaty. Sendoh was surprised to find himself studying Rukawa's face like that. This could be the only chance for him to do it; Rukawa would kill him if he was sober, but now it was different. And if he was lucky enough, Rukawa wouldn't even remember anything tomorrow morning.

He was just going to pull back, realizing that he was getting too close. Their breath mingled in the air. Sendoh could smell the liquor from the other, and Rukawa's eyes were fixed on him. Oh shit. He pulled back sharply, only to find Rukawa's hands keeping him in place, pulling him back down for a kiss.

The second his lips touched Rukawa's, Sendoh knew he could taste heaven. He wasn't sure why he was doing it, but he couldn't stop himself. Rukawa opened his mouth, giving him easy access to plunge his tongue deeply inside. Sure, he tasted vaguely like vodka, but Sendoh's mind was too preoccupied to even bother with that fact. He felt Rukawa sucking his tongue greedily, but at the same time, he was still giving Sendoh the chance to control the kiss. He explored every inch of Rukawa's mouth, savoring the moment; Sendoh's tongue took a thorough tasting of every part of that willing mouth. Rukawa's hands were already on his shoulders, clutching him firmly. His own hands lay on each side of Rukawa's head, fingers playing with the other's hair. When they pulled apart, Sendoh could see from Rukawa's eyes that they were both overwhelmed by the intense sensations.

"That was nice," Sendoh smirked, licking his lips. Rukawa rolled his eyes and pulled him back for a more scorching kiss. Sendoh knew that it was almost too late now for him to pull back, as one part of his body refused to cooperate and had a mind of its own. But Rukawa seemed to enjoy it, dragging Sendoh down to join him on the bed, while his legs began to tangle with Sendoh's.

"Stop it, Rukawa..." It took all his effort to say it, breathlessly, pulling himself back as far as Rukawa's hands would let him. Sendoh knew he could break free from this drunkard's grip, but something in him balked at the idea. As a matter of fact, he was kind of enjoying himself. 'What the hell were you thinking!' Sendoh mentally slapped himself.

Rukawa scowled underneath him, fingers digging into the skin of Sendoh's arms almost painfully. "Finish what you started already!"

"I started it! You're the one who started the kissing!" Sendoh growled in annoyance, but then he smiled wickedly. "Not that I didn't appreciate it, though..."

"Well, you kissed me back anyway..." Rukawa acknowledged. "You want it, don't you?"

Sendoh blinked. "You didn't even recognize me thirty minutes ago."

"You're Sendoh Akira, ex-Ryounan player. There, now come back here!" Rukawa snapped.

Sendoh sighed, straightening his back while sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to ease up the tension in his lower body. "You're drunk, and I shamelessly took advantage of you. I'm sorry. But nothing more is going to happen." Sendoh said half-heartedly, blaming himself for being such a bastard from the first place, and then blaming himself for being too much the gentleman when he had the chance to be a real bastard. "The Rukawa I knew wouldn't seduce me like that," he whined in disappointment.

The younger man sat up, one hand moving to the inside of Sendoh's thigh, making him whimper in need. "I _am_ drunk, big deal! I needed this. Let's do it."

"You're drunk and you'll regret it in the morning," Sendoh mumbled, shifting Rukawa's hand away. "I don't do _that_ with someone who'll regret it... Not that you'll remember it anyway..."

Rukawa shifted so he was half-sitting in Sendoh's lap, twining his hands behind the other's neck. "You'll just have to remind me tomorrow..." he whispered lazily into Sendoh's ear, making the ex-Ryounan player shiver in delight. "You want this, don't you?" Rukawa rolled those luscious hips, planting a kiss on Sendoh's neck.

"I'd be an idiot if I didn't," Sendoh finally admitted, resting his palms on the other's waist. "But that doesn't mean that we can do it, now... off!"

Rukawa groaned his disagreement and buried his head in the other's chest; Sendoh thought he heard a strange gurgle from where Rukawa's head was.

A second later Rukawa vomited on both of them.

Sendoh turned his face away in disgust, pushing the other away, but still holding onto him so he wouldn't fall to the floor. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Rukawa-kun." Sendoh made a face, dragging the other man to the bathroom and pushing his head towards the toilet where Rukawa continued his vomiting. "I told you, you need to lie down."

The ex-Shohoku ace turned his face for a brief moment, "I didn't hear you complaining before," he mocked and turned back to his toilet. "Gaawd... my head hurts..." he said between gritted teeth.

When Rukawa had finished, Sendoh helped him to take off his dirty clothes, wipe himself with a wet towel and took him back to the bed. This time he was determined to tuck him under the blanket without any further 'approaches'. At least he tried not to get too close. He rushed back to the bathroom to clean himself up and changed his shirt. About ten minutes later, he returned to the bedroom, noticing the other man had closed his eyes. Sendoh slipped under the blanket next to Rukawa. He could have slept on the sofa, but his possessiveness towards his bed won the argument inside his head. 'Maybe I'm not such a gentleman after all,' he thought dimly, 'but then again, Rukawa isn't a girl.'

Lying like this, so close to someone who had literally seduced and offered himself to him, made Sendoh think of banging his head on the bedpost for being such an idiot as to refuse it.

"Hey, Sendoh..."

Sendoh opened his eyes in surprise, looking into a pair of hazy eyes in front of him. "I thought you were asleep..." Sendoh mumbled half-heartedly.

"You're a nice guy." Rukawa paused, seemed to argue with himself before he continued, making Sendoh wonder if he was finally sobering up. "...Thanks."

Smiling, Sendoh pulled the blanket up to cover both of them to their chins. He knew he had done something right, and he wasn't an idiot.

"You're very welcome. Good night, Rukawa." And just before he fell asleep, Sendoh thought he saw Rukawa smiling back at him. But of course it was just a dream. Right?

x x x x x x x

He remembered the ball landing in his hands. Somehow he knew he could do this, he could make this three points shot. Everything was drawn inside his head so perfectly. He peered at the scoreboard, noticing that they were only two points down. He knew he could turn the game around with just this shot. So he did it. And he missed. The ball touched the ring and the other team's center player got the rebound. For a second it reminded him of a certain red-haired baka back in Kanagawa. And then, he could hear the final whistle somewhere behind his head. It was a crucial game and he'd blown it. They were pushed back in the championship.

And then he woke up.

Rukawa sat up on the bed, spilling the blanket into his lap. His eyes turned to slits. He had dreamed about that stupid game again, and he realized that he was half-naked in some strange bed. His mouth tasted like shit and he knew that the pain in his head would be there for quite some time. Unfortunately, he could remember some of the things that had happened last night, and how he ended up in this bed. And pieces of last night's events were coming into his head without warning.

"Oh crap..." He flopped back to the pillows and covered his head with his hands.

The door opened and Sendoh came in with coffees and muffins in his hands. He smiled brightly when he saw Rukawa and showed him what he called 'breakfast'. "The team was eating downstairs and I thought I'd bring you some," Sendoh said, putting the breakfast on the table.

"Thanks," Rukawa mumbled his appreciation. "Where's the bathroom?"

Sendoh pointed at the door and he rushed over there, ignoring the headache. Once inside, he locked the door, looking at his reflection in the mirror, staring at his red eyes and pale cheeks and ruffled hair and his messy facade.

"Baka," he said almost too loudly, scowling and beginning to wash his face. But the more he thought about what had happened last night, he realized he couldn't just ignore it.

It was a fact that he'd been drunk, and that he'd tried to seduce his rival. Sure, he'd never had the chance to be so close with Sendoh; he was just a rival, an old friend from home. People had always said that he was a nice guy, Mr. Brightside, but that didn't make Rukawa want to get close to the guy. So why the hell was he thinking this way about that man! It didn't make any sense, but Rukawa knew that he was interested in the guy. He was a nice and friendly person, and the way he smiled made butterflies in Rukawa's stomach flutter uncontrollably; that and how he kissed so damn well.

Crap.

The minute he came out of the bathroom, Sendoh gave him a new shirt to wear. Vaguely he remembered throwing up on Sendoh's chest when he was trying to molest the older man last night. Baka. "Thank you. I'll return it later..."

"No, s'okay, you can keep it. It's just a shirt," Sendoh said. Rukawa thought he heard a teasing tone hidden there.

Rukawa didn't reply and took a sip of the coffee. It felt good, he had to admit that. He could feel the pain in his head subsiding; he took one muffin and ate like he hadn't seen food for weeks. He peered at Sendoh who was busy just looking at him. "You're not gonna eat?" he asked tentatively, not knowing if he should be more embarrassed about this. But Sendoh just smiled and shook his head, sipping the coffee from his paper cup.

"I love watching you eat," Sendoh said, propping one elbow on the table.

The ex-Shohoku player almost choked on his muffin; he wondered if Sendoh was trying to tease him about what had happened between them last night. He ate in silence, trying to ignore Sendoh's stare.

"I should go now... the team will probably be looking for me," he said after two muffins and one cup of coffee.

"You should," Sendoh sighed, putting his coffee aside, "and they will. Any team would be freaked out if their team ace went missing."

Rukawa bit his bottom lip. "Uhm, about last night... thanks, I mean, I was drunk and all... Thanks." He said it almost too softly for Sendoh to hear; but from the smile that crossed Sendoh's face he knew that he could hear him all right. "Thank you for uh-- for not taking advantage of the situation and--" He wasn't sure whether he should stop rambling now, but he was sure as hell that his face was flushed, and once again he was acting like an idiot. Maybe he should just keep his mouth shut. "You're a nice guy, thanks..."

Sendoh laughed lightly; that relieved Rukawa a little. "You said the same thing last night, you know?"

"I did?" Rukawa muttered. "What else did I say?"

Sendoh blinked, obviously catching something in Rukawa's tone. The ex-Shohoku player knew that he had placed himself in a dangerous area. And that he still had the chance to run away. But he knew that he would regret it for the rest of his life. So he let Sendoh take the few steps until they were standing close.

There was that smile again. Rukawa cursed silently. He couldn't believe that his heart was beating so fast. "You're so good, I almost lose control," Sendoh leaned forward and whispered against his neck, one hand slipping onto Rukawa's waist. "If you hadn't been drunk last night - I can almost imagine what would have happened..."

"Well, I'm not drunk now..." Rukawa trailed off, and at the same time wondered what the hell he was doing; from what he had said, he was almost certain that he wasn't sober. Not yet. But his body wanted something and the calloused hand on his side wasn't helping much.

He looked up to see Sendoh staring down at him cautiously. "Are you sure?" Sendoh asked warily, but his hands were all over Rukawa's back and lower by that time.

Rukawa rolled his eyes, twining his hands behind the other's neck, giving him a pouty expression. "Just shut up and finish what you started."

Sendoh frowned lightly. "That's funny. You said the same thing last ni--" Rukawa had to stop the older man from babbling with a kiss. He could almost see the grin on Sendoh's face as he whispered in his ear, "Now that you're not drunk, don't accuse me of taking advantage."

Rukawa doubted that he would do any such thing.

end


End file.
